Glaze or Wax ???

I promised a post on finishing out a refurbished piece, and there will be lots more to come, however, I wanted to give a quick tutorial (since it is 11:41 p.m. and this pregnant lady is exhausted!!) on using glaze or wax.

First, let’s talk about wax. Dark wax or wax you can tint was a refurbishers dream come true! It is very easy to apply, you can either rub in on with a cloth or you can work it in with a wax brush. I use both methods…I use the brush if there are a lot of grooves, like the table below. However, if the majority of the piece is a flat surface, I tend to just rub it in with a cloth as I feel I have more control of how much is applied. The best part of wax is that it dries quickly and it seals the project piece just as polyurathane, etc. would. Really simplifies the process while still giving the piece a worn, antiqued finish (the darker tinted wax is what gives that antiqued look).

Glaze…I am still a big fan of glazing! It is a long process, it can be tricky, and I’m not gonna lie…I have had a few “glazing” hissy fits! Glaze can sometimes give a piece more definition than wax and I use it 85% of the time I use latex paint. I paint the piece, distress it, glaze it, let it cure, then seal. GLAZE HAS TO HAVE TIME TO CURE!!! Oil based glazes take 24-48 hours to dry and harden, however, I feel it is the easiest type of glaze to work with. Since the drying time is longer, it gives you more time to work it in and correct mistakes or places that maybe were applied to heavy handed. My best tips when working with glazes are: work in small areas and use it sparingly. You don’t need a brush full of wax!!! Just barely dip the tip of the brush into the glaze, then apply to your piece, and work it in really well moving in one direction. The piece below was glazed and you can see the stroke lines, where with wax, you don’t have that. It just depends on the look you are striving for!